The engine compartment of the modern vehicle has an appearance that is quite different from that of its predecessors. For decades following the introduction of the motor vehicle, the engine compartment was generally ignored by designers who, instead, focused on the exterior and interior of the vehicle. The engine compartment of the production vehicle (as opposed to the show vehicle) was solely functional.
Nowadays, however, both engineers and designers are engaged in efforts to improve the overall appearance of the engine compartment while looking at ways to improve noise reduction. The general result of these efforts is the inclusion in the engine compartment of an engine cover that covers at least some of the vehicle's engine. Known covers have a variety of shapes and styles and vary in the degree to which they cover the engine. The size and material of the engine cover both have an impact on the extent to which engine noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) can be controlled.
Show vehicle enthusiasts have taken the appearance of the engine compartment and the engine cover to another level. In some cases, the engine compartment is illuminated with lighting elements, such as LEDs, being arranged along the firewall, the side walls, and the radiator to highlight different features of the engine and adjacent components. Such illumination sometimes includes the engine cover itself which is fitted with lighting elements, again such as LEDs, to define a pattern or to illuminate a badge typically fitted to the top side of the engine cover.
To energize the illuminated engine cover and, in particular, the illuminated badge, wiring between the power source and the badge itself is necessary. Typically this wiring is in the form of exposed wires and, despite the creative efforts of the installer, the wires typically remain exposed and unattractive. While known arrangements for providing illuminated badging to the engine cover provide a certain degree of satisfaction to underhood appearance specialists, the challenge of hiding the wiring necessary to energize the illuminated badging still remains. Complicating the challenge is the need to contain the wiring substantially within the engine cover itself in order to avoid not only the unsightly appearance of exposed wiring but also to improve engine safety by minimizing the risk of engine compartment fire due to stray wiring. A further complication is the occasional need to remove the engine cover completely when undertaking certain service operations. Hard wired engine cover lighting serve only to interfere with the removal of the engine cover.
Accordingly, a common challenge for the custom car enthusiast is the need to combine functionality and serviceability with aesthetics in the engine cover having an illuminated badge. Consideration must therefore be given to ease of installation to maintain competitive assembly costs and ease of removability to maintain competitive repair costs. In addition to satisfying these requirements, the wiring necessary to illuminate the badge of the engine cover must also be simple, relatively light weight, inexpensive to produce, and integrated entirely within the cover itself.
As in so many areas of vehicle technology there is always room for improvement related to the design of engine covers having illuminated badging and to their methods of installation.